


Falling Coconuts

by ThirdGenerationRockette



Series: Will/Mac 1.0 [5]
Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Series, Smut, the mcavoys do mexico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 04:50:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13605900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirdGenerationRockette/pseuds/ThirdGenerationRockette
Summary: "A hundred and fifty. Every year a hundred and fifty people are killed by falling coconuts." She isn't surprised that he knows these things, she's aware of his impressive memory, knows he quite possibly found these figures twenty years ago and now has them lodged forever in his brain.





	1. Chapter 1

It's quiet and warm and she's really only half awake, but the half that _is_ awake can't quite understand the coconut scent wafting up into her nostrils. There's nothing in her apartment that smells of coconut that she can think of...she's just thinking how good it smells when she hears the sound of water, of gently crashing waves and her eyes slide slowly open as she remembers where she is.

"Sunscreen," she mumbles, mostly to herself as she realises what the coconut scent is.

"Mac?" She hears Will's voice and even without looking in his direction she can hear the question in his tone, understandable given that she just woke up and uttered just one slightly random word.

"The smell," she says, turning to where he's sitting on the lounger next to hers. "It's sunscreen."

"It is." He moves over and sits on the edge of her lounger, running his hand softly over her shoulder.

"Oh, am I pink?" she asks, frowning slightly.

"No, you're good," he says, leaning closer and stroking a finger down her nose, grinning at her. "Freckles."

"I know." She shrugs, never having been particularly fond of the way her freckles multiply in the sun but having at last reached the point where she can accept that it's just the way her skin is. "When I was younger I used to long for the type of skin that turned a lovely golden brown in the sun instead of exploding into freckles."

"Well, I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted, but it worked out pretty well for me." His hand moves to cup her face and his thumb runs across her cheekbone. "I really fucking love your freckles."

"Glad to hear it, because I don't think they're going anywhere." She smiles and closes her eyes briefly, leaning into his touch with a sigh. "I don't think I've ever been this relaxed in my life. I mean, literally, Billy, in my _entire_ life."

"That was the plan, for us to relax." He pauses to kiss her, his thumb still resting on her face. "And for me to get to see you in a bikini for a week."

"A bikini? Singular?" She smirks at him and raises her eyebrows. "I have a whole selection of them, you'll see."

"And then at the end of the week, you model them all for me and I get to choose a favourite?" He runs his finger down the strap of the one she's wearing today, dark blue, plain and more substantial than a couple of the others in her suitcase.

"As long as you return the favour." She nods down in the direction of his shorts, also blue, as though the two of them deliberately coordinated, and she grins at him.

"I brought six pairs of shorts, and they're pretty much all just...blue," he says, shrugging slightly.

"You just went shopping and bought six identical pairs of shorts, didn't you?" She giggles as the expression on his face answers her question, and leans in to kiss him. "Ah, my little fashionista, how I love you."

He stands up and holds out his hand, taking hers and pulling her up from her lounger and against his chest, sliding an arm around her waist. He kisses the top of her head and then pulls back, keeping hold of her hand and smiling at her confusion.

"Where are we going?" She lets him lead her out from where they were sitting and across the sand but it takes her only a few seconds to realise where they're going, a realisation followed by a sharp stab of fear.

"Pool yesterday," he says, squeezing her hand. "Ocean today."

"Oh, I don't think...I mean, I'm not sure, I don't..." She stops because she isn't actually managing to say anything, mostly because a voice inside her head is screaming _'jellyfish'_ so loud that she can barely think.

"What's wrong?" He stops walking and as he turns to her she's aware of how tightly she's clinging to his hand so she loosens her grip just a fraction and tries to smile.

"Nothing." She shakes her head, still attempting to smile as his expression starts to take on a faint hue of concern. "I just prefer the pool, I'm not a particularly strong swimmer, I don't feel comfortable in open water, that's all."

"I wasn't suggesting we try and swim to California," he says, tugging on her hand and frowning when her feet stay firmly planted in the sand. "But it would seem crazy to be staying here without at least dipping a toe in the ocean."

"Why don't you dip your toes in and I'll sit here and watch," she says, biting her lip, almost certain he won't drop it until she tells him what the problem is, but determined to give it at least one more try.

"So..." He tangles his fingers tighter within hers and she manages a small smile in his direction. "If said I was going to pick you up, throw you over my shoulder and drag you into the water with me, you wouldn't be okay with that?"

"First off, you'd throw out God knows how many muscles if you attempted to throw me over your shoulder," she says, squeezing his hand. "Second, I'd scream so loud I'm pretty sure someone would assume you were kidnapping me and would call the police. So no, I wouldn't be ok with that."

"Alright." Dropping her hand, he slides his arms around her and pulls her against him, gently kissing her forehead and rubbing his hands slowly up and down her back. "Are you going to tell me what this is really about?"

"It's going to sound so stupid." She sighs, wondering not for the first time why she didn't just tell him before they left, when the phrase 'some jellyfish problems during the fall season' turned up in one of her many panicked google searches. Taking a breath, she decides to just spit it out. "I don't like jellyfish, and oceans are full of them, absolutely chock fucking full of them, and that's why I can't go in there, I just can't, I-"

"Whoa, slow down, honey." She feels his arms move from around her back onto her shoulders, his thumbs making small, comforting circles as he waits for her to look at him, only carrying on when her eyes eventually settle on his. "You don't like jellyfish? That's what you're telling me, you don't like jellyfish?"

"I'm terrified of them," she says quietly, looking up at him, relieved when he smiles sweetly at her. "I don't like that you can see right through them, or that they just float on by like they're not bothering anyone when really they can kill you just by looking at you. They're just...yeah, anyway, that's why I won't go in the water."

"Why didn't you just say?" he asks, smiling at her.

"I don't know." She shrugs, overwhelmed with relief that she didn't have to get as far as the water's edge before confessing her fear. "It didn't seem relevant, I suppose."

"Relevant enough that you googled the jellyfish population of this resort, I'm guessing?" His eyebrows raise and she knows he isn't teasing her, he's just aware of the way her mind works when something worries her.

"I may have checked it out briefly in passing," she says, smiling at him, feeling sheepish.

"How many people are killed by jellyfish each year?" he asks, pausing for only a second before continuing. "And don't tell me you don't know, because I'm pretty sure those stats are printed quite firmly on your brain."

"I absolutely do know. _Officially_ there are around 40 each year." He's right, these are not statistics she has to go searching too hard for. "Anecdotally, it's quite possibly much higher, a hundred or more, which is two each week. Two each week is a _lot_ , Will."

"Okay..." he says, taking her hand again as he speaks. "Do you know how many people are killed by falling coconuts each year?"

"Well, I thankfully have no fear of coconuts so no, those are stats I don't have," she says, pleased when he turns and starts walking back in the opposite direction of the water, his fingers laced tightly in hers.

"A hundred and fifty. Every year a hundred and fifty people are killed by falling coconuts." She isn't surprised that he knows these things, she's aware of his impressive memory, knows he quite possibly found these figures twenty years ago and now has them lodged forever in his brain.

"Great." They're almost off the beach when she turns and grins at him. "Something I didn't know I should be afraid of until now, thanks for that."

"If it takes your mind off the jellyfish..." he says, pausing to step up off the sand, picking up the sunscreen from where he left it on the lounger and waiting as she slips her feet into her sandals.

"Maybe you could take my mind off the jellyfish," she says, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards their room, although room is a slight understatement. It's a suite, they have a little terrace and a separate living room, and she knows he went all out with this trip, even if he did play it cool in the face of her surprise when they first arrived.

"Oh, I definitely could." He opens the door and she walks in ahead of him, pulling her bikini top off and throwing it to the floor as she turns to face him, giggling as his eyes widen.

"Good answer." She giggles again and pulls him towards her.

*  
They have just ordered dinner when the little boy at the next table catches her eye. He's about three, she thinks, with a small heart-shaped face, blonde hair and huge bright blue eyes. He grins at her and then looks away shyly. When he looks back, she returns his grin and he giggles. His parents stand up from the table and his father takes the little boy's hand, and as they walk by, he smiles again and she gives him a wave, smiling at his parents and watching as they leave the restaurant. She feels Will watching her and she takes a breath, looking up and across the table at him as she reaches for her drink. He's looking at her curiously and she thinks she knows what he's about to ask so she smiles at him and waits.

"Is that what you want, do you think?" His tone is hesitant but he keeps his gaze fixed firmly on her. "Kids, I mean?"

"He was cute." She smiles at him again and nods. "When I was a little girl I think I just assumed I'd have a bunch of kids. My mum had five, don't forget...and then when I grew up I realised it isn't automatic, you don't hit a certain age and get handed a husband followed neatly by a line of sweet little people. And I hadn't met anyone I would have even considered having a family with, until...well, _you_ , Billy."

"Right. Okay," he says, picking up his glass, glancing down and then meeting her eyes again. "I-"

"What about you? Do you want a family?" She bites her lip, but the urge to hear his answer is suddenly overwhelming.

"No." His answer is sudden and so firm she almost flinches at the sound. "I mean-"

"It's okay, it's fine," she says quickly, waving a hand as though she can magic the subject away again. "I was just-"

"Wait, what I'm saying is I guess I never really thought about kids, definitely never felt like I _needed_ to be a father," he says, reaching across the table suddenly and taking her hand, squeezing her fingers gently. "But then I met you, and fell in love with you, and something...shifted, I guess."

"And...now?" She hears the hope in her voice and it surprises her how much she seems to need his answer to be a positive one.

"If it was what you wanted," he says, his eyes back on hers. "I'd do it in a heartbeat."

She nods, wondering if her smile looks as wide as it feels, any pretence at a casual reaction to his words completely pointless. His thumb strokes across hers and she looks down, unable to prevent her mind drifting into thoughts of his hands holding a tiny newborn, holding tight to a squirming toddler, throwing a ball to a middle schooler, or helping a teenager perfect their guitar skills. When their food arrives, he slides his hand gently out of hers and she sighs, shaking her head at her sudden wave of silly sentimentality.

After dinner, they stroll slowly back to their suite, her hand firmly in his, accompanied by a comfortable silence and a light breeze that feels good on her skin but isn't quite taking the heat out of the evening. She changes out of her dress into shorts and a tank top, and when she comes out of the bathroom Will is out on the terrace, also in shorts and there is wine poured for both of them.

Curling up next to him on the couch, her thigh pressed against his, her feet tucked up under her as she reaches for the glass and takes a sip, looking up at the view in front of them. The sky is a velvety dark blue with a light smattering of bright stars, the trees are moving gently in the breeze, and when the breeze changes direction she can hear the waves gently lapping against the sand.

"I think it might be pretty much perfect here," she says with a long, contented sigh.

"I'm not going to disagree." His hand comes to rest on her knee, his fingers stroking tenderly across the bone.

"Have you been here before?" she asks, pausing to take another drink, savouring the sharpness of the wine and watching as he does the same.

"No," he says, turning his head slightly to meet her gaze. "What makes you ask?"

"I don't know, really." She smiles at him as he takes another drink and seems to be waiting for her to elaborate. "I just wondered. It wasn't my subtle attempt to ask if you'd brought many other of your girls here, if that's what you're thinking."

"Well, if you _were_ asking, the answer to that would be no." His hand moves higher, to her thigh, his index finger starting to trace small circles around one of her freckles before he looks back at he again. "Never been before, so nope, never brought anyone here."

"Honestly, I was just curious about how you chose the place," she says, smiling at him and feeling his finger stop moving against her thigh.

"Easy." He shrugs and smiles back. "I just googled 'places as beautiful as Mackenzie McHale' and this is what I got."

"Smooth, Billy." She giggles and covers her hand with his as she leans her head against his arm. "Super smooth."

"I try," he says, and she can hear the smirk in his voice. "It would be a nice place for a honeymoon, don't you think?"

"Mmm." She lifts her head slightly and takes another drink, deliberately avoiding looking up at him despite an almost irresistible urge to see what expression accompanies a question like that. "I've always wanted a honeymoon in Hawaii."

"Hawaii?" he asks as she slides her fingers through his.

"Yeah, it just always seemed like paradise to me," she says, taking a final gulp of her wine and reaching forward slightly to sit the empty glass on the table in front of them. "When we lived over here when I was little...well, not _here_ as in Mexico, in the States, I mean...we only lived on the east coast, and when we came back to visit it was the same. I remember being really little, only about five maybe, I'm not sure. Anyway, I remember seeing photos of California and Hawaii and thinking it looked like some kind of magical land far away with the palm trees and the beaches and...oh, it's stupid, I know."

"Not stupid at all." He shifts just enough to look at her, smiling softly. "And...noted."

She says nothing, just returns his smile and nods before resting her head against his arm once more. Jellyfish, babies, honeymoons, it's been quite the day of revelations and it feels good. She's known for a while now that she can't see herself with anyone else again, that Will is it for her, and she knows he feels the same, but still, saying these things aloud makes them somehow more real and she likes that.

"You know what might be good?" He breaks the silence, his fingers moving again against her thigh. "While we're so relaxed already."

"What?" she asks, focused mainly on the feeling of his hand on her leg, his slightly rough fingertips moving across her skin.

"If we got high while we finish this wine." His hand moves higher again, taking her with it, her fingers still laced with his.

"You know I just giggle when I'm high, I hope you're prepared," she says, although she actually likes the idea of feeling light and silly and even happier than she feels right now. "And where the hell would we find anything at this time of night, in the middle of Mexico?"

"Don't worry about that," he replies quietly. "I have some already."

"Wait, you...?" She frowns but realises it doesn't matter how he has it, she knows he isn't crazy enough to have brought it with them, so she'll embrace the mood and go with it. "Oh never mind, just go and get it while I pour some more wine."

She doesn't get high often, and when she does it's only ever with him because she knows she's safe with him, that when she hits her limit and just wants to sleep, he's there for her curl up against, his chest warm and solid, his heartbeat steady and soothing. Reaching for the wine, she sees him heading back out towards her and she smiles.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The realisation that's she's completely wasted comes when she climbs into Will's lap and spots the two empty wine bottles on the table in front of them, genuinely surprised as she wonders who the hell drank them dry. Forgetting about the wine, she giggles as his finger keeps prodding her, slowly and with complete determination, moving across her shoulders, her chest, down her arms._

The realisation that's she's completely wasted comes when she climbs into Will's lap and spots the two empty wine bottles on the table in front of them, genuinely surprised as she wonders who the hell drank them dry. Forgetting about the wine, she giggles as his finger keeps prodding her, slowly and with complete determination, moving across her shoulders, her chest, down her arms.

Stopping when he reaches her wrist, he looks up and grins widely at her. "Two hundred and forty three...no, wait, four hundred and twenty three. Oh, fuck, I forgot already."

"Forgot what?" She frowns, trying to remember what he told her a few minutes earlier he was about to do...no, she can't quite recall. "Four hundred, two hundred what?"

"Freckles," he says, simply. "I was counting your freckles because you said you hardly have any at all and I said, 'Honey, you have about a million'."

"Well, it's definitely not a million." She giggles at his serious face, wondering if he's considering starting all over again. "It would take weeks to count a million...and anyway, you only counted the ones _outside_ my clothes, so it wouldn't be an accurate representation anyway."

"This study is not going to stand up well at all, is it?" He dips his head to her shoulder, his mouth warm and wet on her skin. "Whatever, this one is the best one anyway, it's my fucking favourite for sure."

"You have a favourite shoulder?" She's confused because surely that means she has one weird shoulder, or else why would he pick a favourite. "What's wrong with my other one?"

"You're nuts, I love both of your shoulders completely equally, it was your freckles I was talking about, I have a favourite _freckle_ ," he says, running his thumb over her shoulder and, she assumes, over the freckle. "It looks like a smudge of chocolate and it's...it's really sexy, Mac."

"How can a freckle be sexy?" She laughs and leans forward to kiss him, needing suddenly to taste him as she runs her thumbs across his face. "I think maybe I'm not nuts but you are, baby."

"It's only sexy because it's on _you_." He lifts her hand from his face and kisses her fingers, smiling at her as she watches him. "That's what I meant."

"Oh, Billy." She lets out a long sigh as she gazes into his eyes as he grins at her. "I don't know why you're so sweet to me...you just have such a way of doing things, and I don't deserve it, I-"

"Hey you, stop that right now, that...crazy talk." Her hand is still in his and he threads their fingers tightly together as he leans in and drops a kiss to the end of her nose before pulling back. "You deserve to be treated like a princess every damn day, so I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, you don't know why I'm so sweet to you? Because I love you, Mackenzie, I actually fucking adore you, okay?"

"Okay." She bites her lip and slides her free hand into his hair, tangling it slightly as her wasted brain wonders how she never considered her husband would be blonde, wondering too what that means for their kids, before she realises he's looking at her with concern in his eyes. Suddenly she needs to make sure he knows how she feels. "You do know how much I love you, don't you? I've never, ever felt like this about anyone, never in my life, and I never will. I only love you, I'll always only love you. Are you hearing me?"

"I am totally hearing you." His frown fades and he squeezes her fingers as a smile appears back on his face. "And I like what I'm hearing."

"Ooh." She has an idea, one she doubts he'd go for usually, but hell, they both as high as the proverbial kites so she knows he can be persuaded. "I know what we should do!"

"We should have sex, shouldn't we?" His eyes go wide and he grins. "Remember last time we got high, how awesome the sex was? I mean, shit, we always have good sex, but damn..."

"I do remember." She grins back, remembering her birthday when they may have got just slightly wasted, enough that he told her he was going to make her come once for every year of the birthday she was celebrating. Too ambitious, obviously, but damn, he really did give it everything he had in the attempt.

"Mmm, me too," he murmurs as his lips move down her neck, his teeth scraping her skin, producing a low moan in her throat.

"Will..." She tugs on his hair and pulls his face up level with hers, noting his dark eyes and the colour in his cheeks, but determined to forge on with her original plan. "We are absolutely going to have all the sex, but I want to do something else first."

"Do you want to eat something?" His lips are almost touching hers and she grins at him. "We could call down and get pizza, or ice cream, or pizza _and_ ice cream, or-"

"I want to go outside." She stops him because if he keeps on then she really is going to want pizza. Or a burger, maybe a really good burger...she forces herself to focus on what she was about to say. "I want to go for a swim. It'll be so lovely and cool in there, and quiet because there's not going to be anyone else in the pool now, just you and me. What do you say?"

He says barely anything, he just nods, grabs her hand and leads her down through the small, winding path that leads from their terrace to the pool. She was right about it being empty, and it's even more silent than she expected. This is the pool that only those in the suites have access to, and again she's thankful for Will's extravagance in that area. They reach the edge and he's about to climb in when she stops him with a hand on his arm, waiting until he turns around before she pulls her tank top over her head and drops her shorts to the ground, biting back a loud giggle as he stares at her.

"Holy shit, Mac," he says, his eyes moving from her face slowly down her body and back again.

"What?" She giggles again and steps closer to him, her hands moving to the waistband of his shorts, sliding underneath so her fingers can run across his abdomen. "Oh, did I not mention this part? Oops..."

Turning back towards the pool, she knows his eyes are on her and she hears his breath catch as she sits down and dips her feet into the water, surprised by how much cooler the water is than she had expected but still finding it a welcome relief against the hot night.

"Cold?" he asks, sitting down next to her, his shorts and t-shirt on the ground beside hers. "Not losing your nerve, are you?"

"Not likely." She smirks at him, reaching out and squeezing his knee before lowering herself quickly into the water, covering her mouth to keep a squeal from escaping because holy fuck, it really does feel cold.

She leans on the side of the pool and waits for him to join her, grinning at the look on his face when he too realises the temperature. He presses himself up against her, pushing her flat to the poolside and running his wet hands across her shoulders.

"You know the best way to get used to the water is to just fucking go for it," he says, stepping back slightly and pulling her with him, his hands in hers.

"I'm game if you are." Briefly she wonders if being this high and going from such a hot night into cold water is a good idea but the thought is pushed straight from her mind when he ducks down, shoulders deep in the water and drags her with him.

They resurface and he pushes back against the wall again, his hands running down her arms as he grins at her.

"Stop grinning and warm me the fuck up," she says, quietly but definitively, slipping her wet hands into his hair.

He slides his thigh between her legs and she shifts slightly to push herself against him as his hand moves under the water and across her stomach. He kisses her, softly at first, his hand gently tangled in her damp hair as she tightens her grip in his, and then harder, his tongue pushing into her mouth as she feels herself start to rock against his thigh. She thought the best thing about being high was how damn funny she found everything, but no, it's this, it's the ability to totally lose herself in him, to feel every touch right down to her core. He pulls back and she can't hold in the sound, a loud moan that he silences with his thumb, sliding it into her mouth, his eyes turning even darker as she swipes her tongue around it, sucking gently. His mouth moves to her neck, his tongue intent on following a tiny droplet of water running down towards her chest, his thigh still pressed between her legs. When his lips move lower and he takes her nipple in his mouth, she bites back another, louder moan and rocks harder against him, not high enough to throw hygiene to the wind and let him fuck her in the pool, but horny enough to want his fingers all over her.

He swirls his tongue once more around her nipple, follows it with a stroke of his thumb and lifts his head to kiss her, this time letting her take what she needs, opening his mouth for her tongue to slide slowly against his, tickling his fingers down the nape of her neck as she moans into his mouth and drags her nails across his back. When he pulls his leg from between hers, she breaks the kiss and looks at him, brief irritation becoming a giggle when he smirks and she realises she's about to get what she wants.

"I'm going to make you come, Mackenzie." His voice sends a shiver through her that has nothing to do with the cold water and she bites her lip as she looks at him. "But you're going to need to do whatever you have to do to keep quiet, alright?"

"Mmm-hmm," she says, unable to say another word as his hand disappears under the water and moves between her legs.

She brings her hands from around his back onto his shoulders, holding onto him, her grip tightening as his fingers move against her, the warmth of his hand somehow breaking through the cool of the water. Leaning forward, she pushes her face into the side of his neck, opening her mouth to taste his skin as she feels his long fingers stroking harder against her. God, she loves his hands, and he never fails to work his own brand of magic with them, but never more so when she's high and every tiny touch makes her feel like she might explode into a million pieces.

If they were somewhere else other than in a deserted pool surrounded by rooms where people are probably sleeping, she knows she'd be moaning by now, crying out, telling him what she wants, and getting even louder as he makes it happen. Instead she breathes against his skin, into his ear, murmuring his name softly in between shaky breaths. When his fingers speed up and she knows she's close, she dips her head and bites down lightly on his shoulder because she knows it's the only way she's going to be able to keep quiet. Vowing to make up later for any pain she causes him, she closes her eyes, scrapes her teeth over his skin and digs her fingers into his arms as he slides his fingers against her one final time and she pushes herself tightly against him.

Lifting her head from his shoulder, she smooths her hand over the marks she has made and tells him she's sorry in a slow, deep kiss, grinning as she pulls away.

"Why do you taste like salt?" His huge pupils and her instinctive reaction to giggle remind her again of how high they are.

"Ah, now I _do_ know the answer to that." She's proud of herself now for reading the brochure in their room as she smiles widely at him. "Wait though..."

"Huh?" He quirks an eyebrow, letting out a low groan as she runs her tongue slowly up his neck.

"Just checking." She winks at him and he grins. "I taste like salt and so do you because _this_ , Billy, is a salt water pool...now, I think we've pushed our luck far enough out here for one night."

"We should go back inside?" he asks, deliberately splashing water onto her shoulder so he can watch it run slowly down to pool in the curve of her collarbone where he catches it with his tongue, glancing up at her as he does. "Yeah, that's definitely salt water."

"Told you." She giggles as he lifts his head and gazes lazily at her. "And yes, I do think we should go back inside."

"So we can have all the sex..." He grabs her hand and starts to move towards the steps, a smart move since she was wondering if either of them had the required motor skills to attempt to climb out of the water. She thinks probably not.

Scooping up her shorts, she hangs awkwardly onto his arm as she steps into them and then grins as he does the same. It takes her what feels like hours to work out which way her tank top goes on, not helped by Will whispering at her to just leave it off, but no, she's committed now and eventually it's over her head and she's as close to dressed as she can be.

"Yeah." She follows him, her hand in his and her eyes fixed on his naked back as her still slightly pot addled brain can think of nothing but the marks her nails could make when they get back inside. "All the sex."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _He walks across the room and her eyes follow him, watching his broad shoulders, and craving his strong arms around her, needing to feel the muscles in his back flexing under her hands as he pushes her down hard into the mattress. When he saunters back over to her, she sees the bottle in one hand, two shot glasses in the other and his camera around his neck._

"Dance with me." She moves in front of him, raising her arms above her head and giggling as his eyes land on the sliver of flesh visible between her shorts and her tank top. She thinks her suggestion to "let's just get a tiny bit higher" was a good one, she's proud of herself. If her high had started to wear off, she probably wouldn't want to dance, especially without music, and maybe he wouldn't be watching her the way he is right now, licking his lips as she slowly sways her hips.

"There's no music," he says, his voice rough and low enough that the hairs on her arms stand up.

"We don't need music, Billy." She laughs and takes a step closer, turning around and lifting her hair off her neck, her hips still swaying as she backs up against him, sighing as he slides his arms around her and slips his fingers under the waistband of her shorts.

His tongue is warm against the side of her neck as he kisses behind her ear, sucking lightly on her skin. Maybe he's planning to keep on going, moving right down the length of her body, his tongue slipping down in between her breasts, detouring to take a nipple into his mouth, kissing and nibbling until she's moaning so loud she doesn't care who hears her. His hands stroke slowly across her stomach and her skin feels alive under his fingers, like her pores are opening up to move closer to his touch. She thinks about what his fingers did to her in the pool and she's about to push his hand lower when he stops suddenly and turns her around, a smile on his face that makes her stomach flip over.

"I have an idea," he says, running his hands down her sides and resting his thumbs on her hipbones.

"Is it milkshake?" She doesn't know if they could even find a milkshake here at whatever the hell time it is now. "No, maybe not milkshake. Is it sex? Sex followed by milkshake...ooh, Will, that's a good idea."

"I know, right?" He grins proudly. "Oh wait, no, that wasn't it!"

"What is it?" She's impatient now because if it isn't sex or a milkshake then she doesn't know what it could possibly be.

He walks across the room and her eyes follow him, watching his broad shoulders, and craving his strong arms around her, needing to feel the muscles in his back flexing under her hands as he pushes her down hard into the mattress. When he saunters back over to her, she sees the bottle in one hand, two shot glasses in the other and his camera around his neck.

"Tequila!" She grabs the glasses and sets them down on the table, watching as he opens the bottle and, with a level of concentration that makes her giggle, pours a shot for each of them.

"We have one problem," he says, frowning slightly which only makes her giggle more. "No salt."

"Oh, you're wrong about that." Stepping closer to him, she moves onto her toes and leans up, her hands on his shoulders as she tilts her head, offering her bare neck to him. "Lick me."

"Oh, honey, you'd better believe I'm going to lick you. I'm going to put my tongue all over you." His mouth lands on her neck and he starts to suck lightly on her skin, his lips warm against her.

"Billy..." She forgets for a second what she's protesting about because this is not something she objects to, not in the fucking slightest. When he starts to nibble gently under her ear, his teeth running across her skin, she suddenly remembers why she needs to stop him. "Lick me, I said, not eat me. Not yet anyway."

"God, Mackenzie." His hands slide under her tank top and roam up her back as his tongue moves to her throat, starting a slow trail up to her chin. "You taste...like-"

"Salt." She moans loudly as his tongue swirls again under her chin and across her jawbone. "That was my point...we have plenty of salt."

"You're a fucking genius." He lifts his head and grins at her before his mouth again settles at her throat and his tongue makes one more slow journey up her neck. "Okay, your turn."

She goes for a slightly different tactic, she starts at his shoulder and moves slowly inwards, and in contrast to his long, deep strokes, she takes small, frequent tastes as she drifts towards his neck, lapping at his skin like a cat lapping up cream. By the time she reaches his neck, his hands are clutching at her back to pull her closer and her nipples are hard under her tank top and pressing against his chest. When he lets out a long, deep groan she opens her mouth and sucks on his skin, tasting more than just salt, tasting everything she loves about him. Pulling her lips from his neck, she picks up the shot glasses, hands one to him and, looking into his eyes, throws back the tequila hard and fast.

"One more," she says, reaching for the bottle. "And then you're going to tell me why your camera is around your neck. At two in the morning, when neither of us is really dressed."

Her tongue runs quickly up his bicep, the faint tang of salt still lingering on his skin and she giggles as he licks the inside of her wrist and it tickles. The second shot again goes down quickly and she feels it burn the back of her throat before a warmth moves down into her chest and her head starts to feel even lighter than before, spinning just a little.

“Why do you think I have the camera?” He takes it from around his neck and points it at her, clicking as she tries to arrange her messy hair into some kind of order, pouting faintly at him.

“Will…my hair’s a mess, my make-up is long gone and I’m wearing damp shorts and a grubby tank top.” She sighs as he shrugs and points the camera at her again.

“I know.” He takes another photo before pausing, stepping closer, a hint of a smile on his face.

“You look hot, _really_ hot.”

“As in sweaty hot?” She smirks and takes a step back. “And that’s way too much of a close up.”

“No,” he says. “Not sweaty hot, just really fucking hot…and fair enough, but, you know if you were on the bed it wouldn’t be a close up.”

“Are you…serious?” Her eyes widen yet she finds herself backing slowly towards the bed as her hands drift to the hem of her top, pulling it up just slightly as he watches her, camera in hand, surprise in his eyes.

“Deadly.” His eyes follow her as she pulls the top slowly over her head and climbs onto the bed, curling partially onto her side, bending her knees and, overcome by a sudden shyness- caused by the camera, not him- folding her arms across her chest.

“Is this working for you?” She smiles shyly at him as he takes the first photo, feeling herself relax, two shots of tequila combining with the high to lower her inhibitions.

He puts the camera on the bed and leans down towards her, his mouth landing on her shoulder, his lips moving across her skin, his tongue sliding around what she now knows is the freckle he seems drawn to. She pushes her fingers into his hair and he scrapes his teeth down her shoulder, kissing her upper arm until she giggles. Pulling away, he reaches again for the camera and smiles at her as she slowly pulls her arms away from her chest and over her head, biting her lip when he takes the photo. Relaxing enough not only to let him take several more, but to smile in some of them, she eventually sits up, her arms once again covering her chest and she can’t help grinning at the stricken look on his face.

“Oh, don't pull your sad Billy face." She giggles and points at the camera. “That thing has a timer, right?”

“Yeah.” He nods and starts to try to figure out which setting is the timer, eventually looking up to find her resting back against the pillows, hair spilled out across the white cotton, a smile on her face.

"Then figure it the hell out and get on this bed," she says, letting out a long, slow breath. "I want you in these photos too."

She watches him set the camera up before he moves towards her, settling beside her on the bed, sliding his fingers through hers and moving half on top of her, his foot running down her calf as he pushes her down into the pillows behind her. His fingers tighten in hers and his mouth moves down to her neck, kissing her as she tilts her head, her gaze landing on the camera, her teeth catching her bottom lip when his lips start to suck on her earlobe. When his hands slip from hers to slide down her body, his fingers grazing the small of her back as he pulls her shorts down her legs, she lets out a moan that she feels like she's been holding in since they were in the pool.

He kisses her and it's so slow and so deep she can't think, doesn't _want_ to think about anything other than his tongue stroking hers and the rush of wetness between her legs. Her hands on his face, her fingers trail down his cheeks, and her thumbs move to his jawbone as she shifts and feels him hard against her thigh. Her eyes are closed and the kiss grows impossibly deeper, slower as she reaches down into his shorts and scratches her nails lightly across his abdomen. When her hand moves lower, she feels him grow harder beneath her fingers and the sound he makes into her mouth vibrates through her like a bass note.

"Take your shorts off." She pulls out of the kiss to allow her words to escape, but her lips stay on his and she smiles against him.

He lifts himself from where he was half on top of her, trying awkwardly to pull his shorts off, glaring at her when she giggles, his momentary frustration forgotten when she moves a hand to her breast, palming it slowly as he watches. She rolls her nipple between her thumb and finger and looks at him, his eyes fixed firmly on the hard, pink peak, his breathing slow and heavy as he kicks his shorts off. His eyes darken and he moves closer again, taking her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, even harder when she moans over and over for more. When she pulls on his hair, her moans become his name, growing louder until he runs his teeth across her skin and she comes hard and fast, a surprised gasp falling from her lips. For a high, drunk, completely confused second she wonders what the hell just happened and then she realises he just did something to her that nobody has ever done before.

"Holy shit, Billy." She tries to catch her breath as her stomach does somersaults and her eyes struggle to focus on his. "You just...I mean, I just...and you didn't even-"

"Top drawer only," he says with a smirk. "You're amazing."

"Fuck, _you're_ amazing." She sighs, pulling him in for a kiss so soft it's barely more than just their lips resting against each other's, her breath mingling with his. He tastes of everything they've done tonight; the fruitiness of the wine, the sweetness of the pot, and the sharp bite of the tequila.

Sliding out from under him, she feels his eyes on her as he rolls onto his back, assuming she wants to be on top, but this time she wants something different so she moves onto her knees, takes hold of the headboard and throws him a sideways glance, a half smile. This isn't something they do often, but hell, she doesn't know if it's because she's wasted, but tonight she wants to feel him sliding deep into her from behind, and she wants it now.

"Wait..." He sits up and her eyes drift down his chest and his stomach, stopping when she sees how hard he is. "You want..."

"I'm wet, and hot, you made me come once already and now I want you inside me," she says, firmly, amused by his brain's apparent confusion battling with his body's obvious need.

She bites her lip as she feels him move behind her and when he slides a finger slowly into her, she moans his name and tightens her grip on the headboard. Sighing, she pushes herself back towards him, needing more than just his finger, and letting out a long groan as he pulls it slowly out of her and reaches around to run it over her nipple, coating her skin with her own wetness. His hand moves to her hip, holding her still as he guides himself inside her. He feels so good as he pushes into her that she forgets to breathe for a few seconds, so caught up in the sensation of him slowly filling her, feeling him hard within her. When he rests both hands on her hips and pulls her back against him, she finally takes a gulping breath as he slides almost all the way out of her, exhaling his name when he eases back in. Slow at first, she moans to encourage him to speed up, closing her eyes and concentrating on the feel of his fingers on her skin as he pushes deeper into her. His hands move onto her shoulders, sliding slowly down her back, this thumbs stopping at the base of her spine as he lets out a low groan before pulling out of her.

"Oh..." She takes one hand from the headboard and looks back at him, frowning as she wonders why he's stopped, her downwards glance reassuring her it sure as hell isn't because he's not hard anymore.

"I want to see your face," he says, pausing as she turns to face him. "I need to look at you."

"Okay." The look in his eyes is so intense that she feels a shiver run through her as she slides down onto her back and stares up at him.

She can't take her eyes off his and his gaze breaks hers for only a second as he pushes back into her and she wraps her legs around him. He covers her like a warm blanket and she wraps her arms around his neck to pull his face down to hers, closing her eyes and kissing him quickly before opening them again and staring deep into his. Her fingers tangle in his hair and she giggles as her nails scratch the back of his neck and he lets out a deep growl that sends a current running through her. As he speeds up she wants nothing more than for him to come, hard and deep into her, regardless of whether she comes again or not. She lifts her feet higher up his back, crosses her feet tighter together and moves her hand to his face, watching as his blinking slows and his breathing becomes more laboured.

"Mackenzie..." His voice cracks and she smiles at him, stroking her thumb across his cheek, her eyes never leaving his.

"Yeah," she murmurs, knowing he's about to come, feeling every slow stroke inside her, hearing the change in his breathing as he lets go, his warmth flooding into her. "God, Will..."

"I love you," he says as he slides slowly out of her and rolls onto his back beside her, pulling her clumsily with him so she's half on his chest gazing up at him, blinded by the look in his eyes.

She smiles at him, knowing she needs to move, to make it to the bathroom, but unable to tear herself away from him when he's looking at her the way he is and stroking his hand so tenderly down her arm. When he returns her smile, she finds herself giggling and he raises an eyebrow.

"What?" he asks, turning his hand over so he can brush the backs of his fingers across her elbow, smirking when it makes her squirm.

"Nothing, really." She shakes her head and is instantly reminded of the tequila shots she'd almost forgotten about. "I was just thinking."

"About?" He leans in and kisses her, smiling as he pulls back.

"I really should pee," she says, pausing as she realises that's not what she was going to say. "I mean, I _was_ thinking I really should pee, but then you were looking at me like that and I just couldn't move."

"Looking at you like what?" There is faint amusement on his face and she finds herself giggling again as she squeezes his arm gently.

"When I was eighteen, my first proper boyfriend dumped me and I was devastated. I told my mum, in the dramatic way only an eighteen year old can, that I doubted I'd ever be happy again, and do you know what she said?" He shakes his head, a sweet, curious smile on his face as she continues. "She said 'oh darling, he was a silly boy, and you _will_ be happy. You'll find a man who looks at you the way those jungle explorers look when they discover a new tribe, full of awe and wonder. That's when you'll know you've found your one."

"And?" His hand roams across her back, his fingertips soft against her shoulder blades. "You're looking at me like that now, Billy." She grins at him. "That's what I'm saying." "I'm looking at you..." He pauses but goes on. "Like I just discovered a new tribe?"

"No." She dissolves again into giggles. "Like I'm the most remarkable thing you've ever seen, and if my mum were here she'd say, 'that's it, that's the look I was talking about'."

"I mean this in the nicest way, but I'm really fucking glad your mom isn't here right now." He smiles and silences her with a kiss, a brief brush of his lips across hers.

"She was right though, I _have_ found my one." She sighs heavily against his lips. "Dammit, I really do need to go to the bathroom."

She plants a kiss square in the middle of chest before shifting reluctantly off him and out of bed, her legs feeling wobbly, her head slightly fuzzy. For the first time all night she wonders how rough she might feel in the morning but she pushes the concern out of her mind because, screw it, they can stay in bed the whole day if they want to. By the time she finishes in the bathroom and heads back to bed, he's asleep already, snoring softly, one arm flung out across her side of the bed and his hair thoroughly mussed. She slides under the sheet and tucks herself against him, his skin warm against hers, and closes her eyes.

*

"Billy...did you get up and open those doors?" she asks, although given that she has him pinned fairly solidly to the mattress she suspects not.

"Huh? The doors?" He looks at her with a smile on his face as she moves slowly off his chest to lie beside him, sighing as she pushes her face into the cool of the pillow. "I haven't moved off this bed, so nope, not me."

"Oh God..." She turns to face him, yawning widely and covering her mouth with her hand. "That means they've been open the whole time, and I'm pretty sure we weren't exactly quiet last night...this morning, whenever. Okay, well, we just won't make eye contact with anyone for the rest of our time here, it's fine."

"Right," he says, smirking at her. "But it's not like anyone will know it was us."

"No, I suppose not," she says, shifting to place a firm kiss on his chest. "How do you feel?"

"Hon, I really don't give a shit who heard us, if I'm honest." He grabs her hand, squeezing lightly and tangling his fingers in hers. "It was totally worth it."

"Good to know." She grins, glad to hear he clearly enjoyed their night as much as she did. "But I meant in general, how are you feeling?"

"Hard to tell without actually lifting my head up, but initial reports would suggest...hungry," he says, moving his thumb slowly across hers and grinning back at her.

"Mmm, me too." Sliding closer to him, she kisses him and runs her foot drowsily down his calf, her toes curling against him. "I think finding the energy to get dressed could take a while though. We can get breakfast in here, right?"

"Yep." His hand moves to her thigh, his fingers massaging gently. "What do you want to eat?"

"I really don't care, just everything," she says. "Tell them to bring us two of everything. And coffee, like a _keg_ of coffee."

He laughs and rolls over to pick up the phone beside the bed, and she giggles as she hears him doing almost exactly what she said, ordering so much breakfast food that it's going to take a team of people and a cart horse to bring it to them. He hangs up and turns back to her, his eyes landing on something over her shoulder, surprise on his face. Climbing awkwardly over her, his legs tangled so clumsily in the sheets she's amazed he avoids falling on his face, he stumbles across the room and grabs his camera.

"Oh hell, we...we took some photos last night that were a little bit, um..." She stares at the camera in his hand as he climbs back into bed with her, remembering smiling shyly for him, wearing only her shorts. She remembers him figuring out the timer because she wanted him in the pictures too, and she bites her lip as she watches him switch the camera on.

"Yeah." His voice is low, his eyes fixed firmly on the camera as he starts, she assumes, to scroll through what they took. "We did...wow, Mac, you look...amazing."

"I'm sure what I look is wasted. Completely baked." She sits up and pushes herself back against the headboard beside him, leaning in to look at the photos, cringing at the one currently on the display. "Shit, I really do. Look at my eyes, Will, I'm so spaced...and my hair is a disaster, I just-"

"This might be my favourite photo of you ever, honey." He moves the camera closer to show her the one he's looking at. She thinks it was one of the first he took, because she looks nervous, she's covering her chest with both arms and the half smile on her face is one of uncertainty. "I don't think it would be appropriate to frame it for my office though."

"It wouldn't be appropriate for it to leave this camera!" She reaches over and presses the button to move to the next photo, and the next, realising they get less decent as they go on, yet somehow she's warming to them, starting to see them as sexy rather than embarrassing. She stops to linger on one of the two of them, he's kissing her neck, his fingers threading tightly through hers, and she looks completely at ease, totally happy.

"Fuck, Mackenzie..." He wraps a section of her hair around his finger, twirling it slowly into a curl, and she bites her lip as she looks at him.

"Yeah." She breathes out slowly, looking back at the photo. "I like this one. I like that it's obvious how happy you make me...not that you need photos to know that, I hope, but still, I like it."

There's a knock at the door and she grins at him, ready for the huge breakfast she hopes is on the other side. She pulls she sheet higher to cover herself as he gets up and throws his shorts on quickly before opening the door. As soon as the door closes and the table is laden with food, the smell of the coffee making her drool, she throws back the sheet and pulls her shorts on, picking his t-shirt up and throwing it over her head before she sits down.

"Do you think, if we look at those photos in ten years," she says, pausing to pour more coffee and taking a mouthful. "We'll remember the night we took them?"

"I'm not sure I remember last night all that clearly even now." He smiles and reaches for a slice of pineapple from the huge plate of fruit in front of them. "But we'll remember this trip, for sure."

"I think we'll either look at them and wonder what the hell we were thinking, or we'll think damn, they're really fucking sexy." She slides her hands around the mug and takes a deep breath, pulling in the scent of the coffee as she smiles at him. "Not to mention if we have a bunch of kids by then, I'll be looking back and no doubt mourning the loss of my bikini body."

"Please." He scoffs, squeezing her hand briefly before reaching for his own mug. "Even if we have ten kids, you'll still look hot in a bikini."

"We're not having ten kids," she says firmly, but she feels herself smiling a little wider anyway, thinking _her_ mother probably never planned to have five yet Mackenzie has her four siblings and Penny wouldn't be without a single one of them.

"Fair enough." He smiles back and takes a gulp from his mug.

"Of course in ten years, we could be running the biggest news show on TV and you could be the modern day Cronkite," she says, musing on how much she would love that, for him to be the anchor people associate with a quality news broadcast, and for her to be the driving force behind it. "In which case, we'd better make damn sure those photos don't see the light of day."

"So no printing the one I like for my office?" He smirks and sits back, taking one final bite of toast before putting the rest back on his plate.

"No, definitely not." She puts her mug on the table and pops a grape into her mouth, her eyes widening as she glances up and outside. "Billy, it's raining!"

"Meaning we get to stay in bed today?" he asks, his hopeful expression making her smile.

Jumping up from the table, she pulls him with her, almost unsettling their dishes as she giggles and drags him towards the open doors. Stepping outside, she moves to the front of the terrace, the part not quite sheltered by the overhanging roof, and holds her hands out in front of her, watching as the raindrops land heavily on her skin.

"I love warm rain," she says, by way of explanation. "Always have, I think because it just feels so odd, like...Christmas in July, or something. I don't know, I just love it."

"You're nuts, you know." He steps closer and she watches the rain land on his arms just before he pulls her into them.

"But you love me anyway, right?" She snuggles against his chest, closing her eyes as he runs his hands softly down her back.

"Like crazy." He kisses the top of her head and she sighs happily.

"This was so nice, Billy, getting away, somewhere warm and quiet, just the two of us," she says, slipping her arms around his waist. "We should do it again soon."

"Yeah, we really should." She feels him nod and smiles as his fingers sneak under her t-shirt and trail up her back, her heart skipping a beat at the words that follow. "Maybe next time it'll be Hawaii."


End file.
